Gov. Abbott deploys the Texas Guard to crack down on migrants flooding over the border amid Republicans warning that 'terrorists' could take advantage of Biden's lax immigration policies

• GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is deploying 500 Texas National Guard troops to the border to crack down on migrants trying to cross into the United States 
• 'This crisis is a result of President Biden's open border policies,' Abbott said at a press conference Tuesday 
• Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham warned Tuesday night that the migrant surge is a 'great way for terrorists to come into our country'  

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is deploying 500 Texas National Guard troops to the border to crack down on migrants trying to cross into the United States, which he blames on Democratic President Joe Biden. 

'There is a crisis on the Texas border right now with the overwhelming number of people coming across the border,' Abbott said at a press conference Tuesday, according to Stars and Stripes. 'This crisis is a result of President Biden's open border policies. It invites illegal immigration and is creating a humanitarian crisis in Texas right now that will grow increasingly worse by the day.' 

Abbott's actions come as Republicans in Washington stir up concerns about the onslaught of migrants, with Sen. Lindsey Graham warning on Tuesday night that it's a 'great way for terrorists to come into our country.' 

'Word is out that the Trump policies are being replaced by the Biden administration [policy] that if you get one foot in America, you are never going to leave,' Graham said on 'Hannity.'  

The Texas National Guard mission is separate from the 3,600 federal National Guard troops and active duty service members who have been deployed to the border since April 2018 under a Trump order. 

That order continues under Biden, Stars and Stripes reported. 

Stars and Stripes also reported that a Government Accountability Office report revealed that the Department of Homeland Security expects that mission to go on for at least another three years.  

Data from Customs and Border Protection shows that southwest land border encounters are up over the past three fiscal years.  

There's usually a downturn of crossings during the winter months and an uptick in spring.  

But crossings from October to January were consistently higher, likely due to the economic unrest thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. 

In January, more than 41,000 more people crossed over the border than in the same month in 2020. 

In Texas' Rio Grande Valley sector, Abbott said that Border Patrol apprehended about 90,000 people last year. The total this year was already 108,000, the Texas governor said.    

'We will work to step up and try to fill the gap that the federal government is leaving open by making sure we deploy every resource, whether it be Department of Public Safety or Texas National Guard, whatever we need to do,' Abbott said. 'Texas is going to fight for the safety and security of our state.'

One change under Biden is that unaccompanied children are taken into custody, as opposed to being swiftly removed, which is still the policy for adult migrants. 

Biden also changed Trump's 'remain in Mexico' policy for asylum seekers. 

Unaccompanied children in Border Patrol custody are supposed to be turned over to Health and Human Services facilities within 72 hours. 

Because of the crush of kids, on Friday the Biden administration had to open back up to pre-COVID-19 levels because there wasn't enough space to house them.